1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an audio device that can select and store desired parameters of a scene that has been set.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional digital mixer, which is used in a concert hall or the like, adjusts levels, frequency characteristics, or the like of audio signals output from a number of microphones or electric or electronic devices, and mixes the adjusted audio signals and outputs the resulting signals to a power amplifier. An operator or user who operates the digital mixer adjusts the volume, tone, and the like of each audio signal of musical instrument sound or vocal sound to desired states in which a played performance is heard optimally, by operating a variety of panel controls provided on the digital mixer. The digital mixer has buses for mixing signals from input channels and output channels for outputting the mixed signals. The input channels control the frequency characteristics, mixing levels, or the like of input signals and output the resulting signals to mixing buses. The mixing buses then mix the input signals and output the resulting signals to corresponding output channels. Signals output from the output channels are amplified and provided to speakers which then output the amplified sound signals.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-262097 is referred to as related art reference.
All parameters indicating the setting states of controls such as faders, knobs, and switches of the conventional digital mixer can be stored as scene data in a scene memory or the like. Each of a plurality of scene data is stored with a respective scene number assigned thereto. By performing a recall operation after specifying a scene number, it is possible to read scene data corresponding to the specified scene number and to recreate setting states of the controls according to the scene data on the digital mixer. Accordingly, it is possible to recreate a variety of scenes such as a conference room, a banquet, a mini theater, and a multipurpose hall once the scenes have been set.
When scene data is stored, the conventional digital mixer allows only specific parameters of the scene data to be selected and stored. When parameters to be stored are selected, a parameter selection window is displayed on a display unit provided on the panel of a digital mixer. A selection list for selecting parameters is displayed on the parameter selection window. Channel numbers are sequentially arranged in a vertical direction of the selection list. Items or parameters to be selected are arranged in a horizontal direction of the selection list.
However, the conventional selection method using the selection list has the following problems. The selection list is very large and it takes a long time to search for items or parameters to be stored since the number of channels is up to 256 or 512 and the number of parameter items is very large. In addition, it is necessary to individually set selection of parameters to be stored for each of a number of channels, and it is thus necessary to spend a lot of time and labor on the selection task.